Looking Up ...

When I joined this forum about 2 months ago, I was mommy to 2 wonderfull dogs, Dutch - my year old Pit X, and Trevor - my 3 year old GSD X foster. Unfortunately, due to some rather horid sircumstances, I was forced to say my final good-byes to Trevor just before the new year, and I withdrew from this forum as a result. (Nothing against anyone here of course, I just hadn't yet come to terms with the fact that he was actually gone.)

Well, I'm feeling a little better now, and wanted to share some pictures with all of you. Due to my lack of a scanner, I've taken them from my shelter's website, so they're a bit small.

Thank you so much Renee and smkie for your kind words. I truly did (and still do) love Trevor with everything I have. He was one of the most amazing dogs I've ever met, and though I am of course upset that he is no longer with me, I am grateful that I was able to spend time with him while he was still here.

As a foster from the shelter, I was required to bring him in to work for regular checkups. His first time back was Christmas Eve, and he bit someone. Unfortunately, he had a history of agression problems, and the shelter manager jumped at the chance to "save me from harm". She claimed he was "dangerous" and a "mennace". I was unable to sway her decission.

The thing that bothered me most was that in the days that followed, it became obvious that she had been looking for a reason to put Trevor down. Now, I knew that he had never been her favorite (nor she his), but I had never imagined that anyone in this business could be so hearltess when it came to an animals life. Perhaps I am naive. He had never seriously hurt anyone in the past, he simply had a problem with strangers, and acted agressive when people walked through the kennel. Trevor never did "show well". I always attributed this to the fact that he spent almost 2 1/2 years of his life (he was only 3 years old) locked behind the bars of his cage.

I never had a problem with Trevor. He was wonderful with me at the shelter, and even more-so when I got him home. This "dangerous" dog slept by the side of my couch evey night (my Dutchy has severe seperation anxiety, which keeps me sleeping in the livingroom) and would lick my hand to wake me up if he had to go out. Occasionally I would lie on the floor with him at night to watch TV, only to wake up in the morning to find him sprawled on his back with his paws on my stomach and his nose in my ear. We walked down the street without a problem, and he loved going out in the car.

I'm rambling now ...but the point is, I was dissapointed to find that this business is not quite as "humane" as most would like to think. I know that Trevor is in a better place now, and I will see him again when I too walk down that path.

Thank you again for the words of comfort, and for listening as I vent. And yes, I will definetly be spending more time here.

Sadly, there are some people in the "humane" business who are there because they have an aberrant need to be in control. They relish the power to deal out life or death on their own personal whims, and nowhere is it easier for them to feed this sickness than in a shelter. If you think about the psychological parallels, the only difference between someone like this and someone like a Charles Manson is the degree to which their "power" is exercised!

One thing is for certain, this woman could not stand the fact that you could handle this dog that she had no control over! The next time you have a situation like this I guess you'll have to formally adopt the dog yourself to get it out of her power.

One thing is for certain, this woman could not stand the fact that you could handle this dog that she had no control over! The next time you have a situation like this I guess you'll have to formally adopt the dog yourself to get it out of her power.

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Funny you said that Renee, as that's pretty much how I got Dutch. He was turned in at the shelter as a 9 week old puppy, adopted, returned 2 weeks later, and then spent the next almost 7 months at the shelter. He was food and object possessive, needed extencive leash training, housebreaking work, and was horribly socialized. Then he got Parvo from a sick dog who came through the shelter, and the manager almost immidiately set a date for him to be euthanized. I actually had to go to her supervisor to get the OK to take him home, because he was "unavailable" for adoption at the time because of his issues.

And after all that, he proved to be more than I could have ever dreamed of in a dog. He walks wonderfuly both on and off leash, will drop anything from a piece of paper to a rawhide on command, is of course completely housebroken, and although he still LOVES his food, it's no longer a source of agression for him. He knows all his commands - sit, down, paw, high-five, over, leave it, take it, find, jump, wait, and come. Right now, we're training for agility, and, considering how fast he's picking it up, and how much he seems to enjoy it, I'm considering competing him when his training is done.

And perhaps I am a bit spiteful, but one of our favorite things to do is visit all his old friends at work (he still plays with some of the dogs there, and loves a few of the other kennel workers who took care of him), and of course, make sure to show off his latest tricks in the parkinglot just as the manager is leaving for the day.